limiting factor

noun

1. Physiology.,  the slowest, therefore rate-limiting, step in a process or reaction involving several steps.

2. Biology.,  an environmental factor that tends to limit population size.

Example Sentences

Even if the reservoir had been full, the flow rate in the system’s pipes “would have been a limiting factor in maintaining pressure and the system would have been quickly overwhelmed” and hydrants would have lost pressure.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I think that’s gonna be cool and, you know, when we travel, that’s always sort of the limiting factor when we travel internationally.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Today, computing is a limiting factor in how much people can adopt AI,” she says, adding that companies have to invest ahead of the curve in order to ensure the technology can meet the needs of a rapidly growing user base.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The global constraint principle explains that when one limiting factor -- such as a nutrient -- is alleviated, other constraints like enzyme production, cell volume, or membrane space begin to take over.

Read more on Science Daily

"In our model, the barrel staves spread out in steps," he says, "each step representing a new limiting factor that becomes active as the cell grows faster."

Read more on Science Daily